With TV in its summer doldrums, I’ll be occasionally offering picks on older series to catch up with. Today’s pick is a timely one: “Band of Brothers.”
The 2001 HBO production is arguably the greatest miniseries ever made. And yes, that’s counting “Roots” and “Shogun.” Adapted from historian Stephen Ambrose’s book of the same name and produced by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the 10-episode World War II series chronicles the men and the missions of Easy Company, a unit in the 101st Airborne, from basic training to postwar occupation, and everything in between: D-Day, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, all the way to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in the Alps.
It’s simply brilliant, at turns inspiring, thrilling and horrific. The series is wonderfully successful at bringing a glimpse of humanity to a most inhumane situation. In most war movies, bodies fall without a second thought. In “Band of Brothers,” even the deaths of enemy soldiers are haunting (see the episodes “Replacements” and “Crossroads”). And it’s even more heartbreaking when it’s characters you’ve grown to like who are suddenly casualties of the carnage (see the tragic “Bastogne” and the frightening, wear-you-down bleakness of “The Breaking Point”).
The acting is superb from a cast who was mostly unknown at the time. Among the now-familiar faces: Damian Lewis (“Life”), Ron Livingston (“Office Space,” “Sex in the City”), Donnie Wahlberg (“Boomtown”), Scott Grimes (“ER”) and Neal McDonough (“Desperate Housewives”). They portray real veterans, who recount their own real experiences during each episode. One of the great joys of the miniseries is finally learning the identities of the old men, who had always gone unnamed, in the final episode and connecting film with reality.
“Band of Brothers” was the most expensive miniseries ever made — estimated at $125 million — and it shows. The effects are big-screen quality and epic in scope. Emotional resonance aside, it’s also the best-looking war movie ever made.
I own the DVD, and like to break it out to watch every year around this time, between Memorial Day and the anniversary of D-Day. It’s a fitting tribute to the men who fought for this country, and watching the miniseries serves as a sobering reminder of the sacrifices and heroism of that Pretty Darned Good Generation.
If you’ve never seen “Band of Brothers,” I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s something everyone should see at least once. And if you’ve already watched it, watch it again. Every time I see it I notice something new and come away with a richer experience. It’s not hard to find; the DVD box set is pricey but worth it. History Channel ran a marathon Memorial Day weekend, and I’ll bet they’ll run another one either for D-Day or July 4. It’s also available for a limited time on Comcast’s On Demand, if you have HBO.
As an aside, a companion piece to “Band of Brothers” is in production, focusing on the U.S. Marines’ island-hopping campaign across the Pacific. Spielberg and Hanks are behind this one too, and it’ll probably be the most anticipated television event of 2010. Look for “The Pacific” on HBO next March.
